Sold-chapter 10-Lily Potter
By Marmalade Fever
Hermione sat as silently as she could. She was in a tree branch just above Malfoy and Lily. He had found her. It seemed like a miracle. But how had Lily managed to survive a whole week on her own? These days everything was a danger. Hermione crouched down to listen.
Draco finally managed to tear the girl away from him. He could see now why Evander had been so keen on rescuing her. She was a good bit taller than the boy, older, had delicate features, a long curtain of shining black hair, and the kind of eyes that could leave one breathless. Pretty or not, this was still the child of his eternal enemy, Harry Potter.
"Mr. Malfoy?" Lily asked, straightening herself. Evidently, she had known the other Draco Malfoy from her home. The initial level of trust that she had radiated was beginning to wear. Now that she had regained her composure, it became apparent that this Draco Malfoy was different. His hair was longer… and there was something akin to evil in his features. The niffler had gone down the staircase to hide.
"Yes?" Draco asked, straightening his mussed clothing.
"Has anyone managed to find your son? Is Evander all right?" the girl asked, tilting her head and giving him a scrutinizing look.
"Evander is at home. He's perfectly fine."
"You will be returning us to Hogwarts, won't you?"
Draco paused. Exactly how much did the girl know? It may have been that she hadn't noticed any differences between this world and the last as of yet. "All in good time," he answered at last, somewhat truthfully. Should the children be restored to their own world, there would be nothing stopping them from their return to Hogwarts. "But how are you?" Draco asked, trying to sound as familiar with her as possible.
Lily sighed, as if resigning from her worries. "I've been better. Goodness knows I could withstand much more than a week in a blackberry infested wood. Mostly I've just been bored out of my skull!" And now Draco was beginning to hear some of the Potter in her. Her father had always been restless, getting himself into situations and easing himself out of them as simply as snapping his fingers.
Above in the bushes, Hermione tilted her head in confusion. Blackberries? It did seem unseasonably warm in this part of the woods… but perhaps she was over thinking things.
"And what's this?" Draco asked, calmly, bending over the staircase that had appeared just moments ago from the ground.
"I'm not sure," Lily answered. "I saw the niffler open it when I first arrived."
"Mind if I take a peek down there before we leave?" Lily shrugged in reply, sitting down on a rock to wait.
Hermione folded her wings in irritation. She was equally, if not more interested in that staircase than Malfoy, and she couldn't follow!
Draco took a few steps down into the hidden room in the grove. It was dank. The room was empty except for a pile of dried leaves in the corner that looked as if it served as a bed. The room was scarcely bigger than the average bathroom. It had probably served as a hideout for some of the members of the resistance. It looked to have been deserted for some time.
Draco returned to the surface after testing the room for any magic concealments. Who knew? Maybe another Potter had lived awhile in that hole.
"Can we go now Mr. Malfoy?" Lily asked. She had her school pouch and had her wand in hand. "I tried to get the Knight Bus to pick me up every night, but nothing happened," she explained.
"Well," Draco replied, thinking, "you don't expect them to pick up passengers in the middle of a forest, do you?"
Lily wrinkled her forehead. "I guess not…"
"Well, come on, let's get going." Draco removed the carpet from his pack and set it on the ground.
"I thought magic carpets were illegal." Lily crossed her arms.
Draco had almost forgotten about that ancient law that had been abolished when Voldemort had come to power. "It's only illegal if you get caught," he replied, giving her a cheeky grin. It pained him to have to smile like that!
Lily just shrugged and sat down. "Are my parents looking for me?"
Draco bit his cheek to stop himself from frowning. "Of course. Your dad's been heading all sorts of searches and you mother has been apparating to see everyone she can think of." They had risen only a few feet now, and it was with great shock that Draco watched Lily slip back off the carpet and run away as fast as she could go. With only a moment's hesitation, he turned himself around and began his pursuit. What could he have possibly said?
The stun spell is a very good one, but requires aim. In a forest, full of trees and other objects, it is difficult to reach one's target. So it was with Draco Malfoy, as he had to swoop and dive while trying to get a clear shot at Miss Lily Potter. In the mean time, Hermione Granger had gone into a panic. If only she could reach Lily in time! It was with extreme trepidation that she returned to her human form in order to warn the girl.
"Lily!" she cried. Malfoy was closing in and had not yet noticed the third human in the woods. Hermione had alighted in Lily's path before changing form, and managed to catch the girl in her arms as she ran by. "Go with him! All will be explained later, just go!" she hissed, before rapidly changing form. She flew off as fast as she could to get out of eyesight.
Draco rounded a corner and came to an abrupt halt. The Potter girl was standing still, as if waiting for him. "What's wrong?" he asked, feigning confusion.
"It's… nothing. I just… I don't really know you all that well, and I guess that age-old rule, 'never take a ride from strangers,' kicked in. I'm back to my senses now, though," she said, looking embarrassed.
Draco sighed with relief. "Well, come on then. You don't mind spending the night at my house, do you?"
Lily shook her head and sat down beside him on the carpet. Once again they ascended, and a bird followed their trail.
Draco flew them back much faster than he had flown on his way to the woods. It was getting dark fast.
Hermione, by sheer luck, managed to arrive first, and flew through Evander's open window, before hastily making her descent to the dungeons. She had barely had time to calm her breathing before she heard steps reverberating throughout the house.
"Evander's in his room," Draco told the Potter child, leading her up the stairs. He only hoped that she was either unfamiliar with the room's location or that he had managed to guess correctly concerning which room to designate as his hostage son's. He rapped at the door and the boy answered, though he allowed Draco to turn the knob, since he had, of course, been keeping it locked.
"Lily," Evander gasped, relief flooding his face.
"Catch her up on the current events, will you?" Draco asked. He allowed Lily to enter the room before he closed the door, locking it once more.
A.N.: Luckily, I found a few hours this afternoon to write. I was going to yesterday, but then my computer needed fixing. I was going to leave you hanging for another week. (And I know you would all be thrilled with that, eh?)